May 25, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 25, 2016

We will get a change in the FFMP on June 1st- hopefully we move up to Chart 4G with a 500 cfs release from Cannonsville.  NYC certainly has enough water stored to feel comfortable.  In the meantime if you are fishing the Mainstem it’s time to start fishing with your thermometer.  The USGS Temperature Gauges at Fishs Eddy on the East Branch and Lordville on the Mainstem both peaked in the high 60’s yesterday.

It’s going to be hot out there today so dress appropriately and wear sun protection.  The bright sun and warm temperatures have pushed the hatching back to evening into dark on a lot of the system.  Caddis in the riffles have been offering some action during the day but you have to be in the right place at the right time.  Nymphing has produce some fish but will probably be more effective in the morning or in the evening when the sun isn’t shining directly on the water.  We may get some thunderstorms moving in tomorrow which would be great for the system.

Temperatures remain cool on the upper river.

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 24, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 24, 2016

The bright sun and warm temperatures have made the daytime fishing tough.  Over the last couple of days a lot of the hatching has been pushed to late evening leaving daytime for nymphing and swinging wet flies.  We should have some cloud cover today- hopefully it pushes in early. The weather over the weekend looks better with some rain and clouds.  Wind looks negligible with gusts under 10 mph.  Keep an eye on the water temperatures on the lower Mainstem over the next couple of days. We’ll get through the next few days feeling like July and we should get some cooler weather by early next week.

Patrick with a shad over the weekend. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 23, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 23, 2016

The current release from Cannonsville Reservoir is 260 cfs.  It seems that most of the rain in the forecast skirted northwest of us so all of the rivers in the system are dropping back as the natural runoff subsides.  The mayflies seem to be hatching later in the day with a mix of March Browns, Gray Fox, Blue Winged Olives, and Sulphurs. Tan Caddis #16 – 20 are getting us fish on top during the day.   Add in the odd Green Drake and a few Cahills and you should be set for the next few days.
Weatherunderground is calling for much warmer air temperatures over the next few days with highs approaching or reaching 80 degrees.  We may see a little rain today but the amount will be negligible.  We should have clouds and wind gusts under 10 mph so today definitely looks like a good day on paper.

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Gray Fox #12-2xl- Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema fuscum)
Pink Lady – #14 – Epeorus vitreus
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 22, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 22, 2016

The release from Cannonsville Reservoir has been dropped to 280 cfs.  The spill over Cannonsville is currently 31 cfs.  The runoff and spill are subsiding so the West Branch is in great shape for wading this morning and is still floatable in the lower sections.  Today looks like a great fishing day with Weatherunderground forecasting cloudy skies, winds 8 mph and below, and a possible shower or two giving us around .12″ of rain.  Caddis have been a mainstay for us over the last few days and we expect that to continue.  Size 16-20 tan patterns are working well for us.

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 21, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 21, 2016

The fishing picked up yesterday- especially in the afternoon.   Nymphing paid off early and then the caddis popped on some sections of river offering dry fly opportunity if you were in the right place.  There were some March Browns and Gray Fox floating by sporadically throughout the day but only a few fish seem interested in the big bugs.  Sulphurs hatched in the evening on the Main in sections offering decent fishing in the evening.
Today looks like a better weather day with cloud cover, air temperatures in the low 60’s, and wind only reaching 5 mph.  All of the rivers in the system are dropping back and the lower flows are now great for wading.  The Cannonsville Reservoir spill is also decreasing dropping the flow at Hale Eddy to a comfortable 590 cfs this morning.

A nice Delaware rainbow. Photo by Kevan Smaracko

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 20, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 20, 2016

The river was finicky yesterday and the quality of the fishing was totally dependent on where you were.  Depending on the section there were apple caddis, tan caddis, small hendricksons, olives, march browns, gray fox, sulphurs, and even some green drakes.  It sounds like the best plan yesterday was to keep moving until you found the bugs and fish.  Some parts of the system were very slow while others produced decent action for most of the day.
The West Branch is still dropping as the spillover from Cannonsville and the runoff from the tributaries subsides.  Weatherunderground is calling for a sunny day with air temps in the mid 70’s.  Winds should be under 8 mph and then drop to almost nothing by the afternoon.

some nice fish were found yesterday.  Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 19, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 19, 2016

The cloud cover stuck around most of the day, the bugs hatched, and the fish were happy.  Some sections are still seeing decent hatches of hendricksons and apple caddis while other sections are seeing march browns, gray fox, and sulphurs starting up.  The spill from Cannonsville Reservoir is dropping so we are seeing the flow drop below the reservoir this morning.  We should be at great wading levels this weekend.  We have more sun today with warm air temperatures and light winds.  It’s going to be a pleasant day out there.

Dennis with a nice brown yesterday. Photo by Bruce Miller

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 18, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 18, 2016

Yesterday fished well with the overcast sky and light winds.  The hatching ramains the same with some hendricksons holding on in stretches and march brown s and sulphurs coming off in other areas.  We have seen a few light cahills and there have been tan caddis showing up just about everyone on low wind sunny days.  There have also been a few cornutas and pseudos on stretches.  We have picked up a few green drakes but haven’t seen a “hatch” yet.  Streamer fishing has been decent over the last few days and should continue to be good as long as we have the higher flows and overcast skies.  Cannonsville is still spilling but the flow behind the dam is dropping.  We should see the West Branch flow below the dam slowly drop over the next few days.  The release is steady at 300 cfs.
The forecast is calling a cloudy sky and warmer air temperatures today approaching 70 degrees.  Wind will be negligible with gusts to 5 mph.  It’s shaping up to be a great day on the water.  The extended forecast looks just as good with a chance of light showers on Saturday.

Dan with a pretty brown yesterday. Photo by Samantha Dennis

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 17, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 17, 2016

It looks like the heavy winds are behind us for a while.  Weatherunderground is forecasting gusts to 9 mph and dropping in the evenings through the weekend.  That’s going to be a welcome change.  We have a small chance of very light rain today but the rest of the week looks clear and warm.  Yesterday was similar to Sunday with winds that made dry fly fishing difficult until the evening.  Once the wind dropped around 6 pm there were sulphurs march browns on some sections and olives in other areas.
Cannonsville Dam is still spilling but the West Branch above the reservoir is beginning to drop.  Sections are wadeable at this level plus both sections of the East Branch and the Beaverkill are in good wading shape.  Streamers and nymphing have been effective before the hatches begin.

Steve cooking a stream side lunch. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 16, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 16, 2016

While the wind was tough yesterday there were bugs and fish eating them during the lulls.  Some sections of the river had decent sulphur hatches around 6 pm and the fish were happy.  When the wind was blowing the bugs were getting blown off the water quickly and the birds benefited the most.  During the wind people who braved the weather had some success fishing streamers.  It was a tough day overall and you had to capitalize on the opportunities you were given.  We’re starting off cool this morning but the air temperatures should reach the low 60’s by mid afternoon.  We will be dealing with strong winds again mid-day but it looks like they should drop in the evening.  It sounds very similar to yesterday.

Peter with a brown over the weekend. Photo by Bob Lewis

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 15, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 15, 2016

Cannonsville is still spilling and the flow at Hale Eddy is 1,100 cfs this morning and just beginning to drop back a bit.  Sections of the West Branch are still wadeable at this level along with the Upper East Branch, Beaverkill, and sections of the Lower East Branch.  The system looks clear and fishable this morning.  The air temperatures will be cooler today approaching 50 degrees by mid-afternoon.  We will have some wind gusts to deal with- how heavy depends on which weather station you are watching.  If it gets too windy for fish to rise streamers and nymphing should be productive.  If you are fishing the West Branch nymph on the lower sections of river because we do have the algea breaking loose due to the increased flows.  There is less now than we had a couple of days ago so that is clearing up and filtering out of the system.
The hatches remain the same with March Browns, Tan Caddis, and Hendricksons still holding on in some sections.  We may have some olives hatching with the overcast skies and intermittent rain. We do have a “Freeze Watch” in effect tonight so bring some warmer gear- especially if you stay out after the sun drops behind the hills.

The flow above Cannonsville has leveled off around 650 cfs this morning

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Sulphur – #16-18 – E dorothea
Light Blue Winged Olive – #14 E. cornuta
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)

May 14, 2016

Delaware River Report / Conditions May 14, 2016

Cannonsville Reservoir continues to spill this morning giving us a flow of 548 cfs at Stilesville.  The release is 300 cfs so the rest is coming over the top.  The West Branch above the reservoir is flowing in over 800 cfs so the spill will increase throughout the day. We were hit with some decent rains yesterday so the rivers throughout the system are in good shape and look good this morning.  Water temperatures look great and we should have a great week coming up.
Hatches remain the same with some sections seeing Hendricksons and others mainly March Browns.  Tan Caddis #16 -20 are throughout the system and we are still finding decent numbers of Apple Caddis #18 on some sections.  Gray Fox should start showing anytime and the Green Drakes cannot be too far behind.  You will find sulphurs and Cahills beginning to pop in some sections too.  Keep an eye out for alewives on the West Branch.  The upper West Branch has some slime floating down but that should flush out.
We should have mid- 60’s for air temperatures today with cloudy skies and maybe a light shower or thunderstorm.  Winds may gust to the low teens but if the bugs hatch you will find fish rising in the protected areas.

Mark with a big brown yesterday. Photo by Steve Shen

Hatching:
March Browns – #10-2xl – Maccaffertium vicarium (formerly Stenonema vicarium)
Hendrickson- #12 – 14 – E. subvaria
Hendrickson #16 – E. X
Blue Quill #16 – 18 – Paraleptophlebia adoptiva
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Light Brachycentrus sp. – #16 – 18 – Apple Caddis
Little Black Caddis #18 – 20 – Chimarra sp.
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)